Undergraduate Curricula

The curriculum of each undergraduate degree program offered by the College of Engineering consists of the lower-division requirements and the upper-division requirements. The lower division includes freshman- and sophomore-year course requirements and is designed to provide a common academic experience for all engineering undergraduates. Courses in the lower division include mathematics, the natural sciences, writing seminars, the social sciences, the humanities, and the core engineering requirements. The upper division includes junior and senior year program requirements and program electives, which are described under each of the undergraduate majors on the pages that follow. Engineering students should refer to College of Engineering program planning sheets for the specific curriculum requirements of their program of study.

Mathematics and Natural Sciences Requirements

All undergraduate engineering students are required to complete a minimum of 16 credits of coursework in mathematics and 16 credits of coursework in the natural sciences. Specific requirements in each of these subject areas are described below:

A. Mathematics The following four courses in college calculus are required:

• CAS MA 123 Calculus I
• CAS MA 124 Calculus II
• CAS MA 225 Multivariate Calculus
• CAS MA 226 Differential Equations

Students in their first semester of study typically enroll in CAS MA 123 Calculus I, unless they have Advanced Placement examination credit or transfer credit in calculus. Students with Advanced Placement examination credit or transfer credit for Calculus I may use it to satisfy the requirement for CAS MA 123. Such students typically enroll in CAS MA 124, then CAS MA 225, followed by CAS MA 226. Students with Advanced Placement examination credit or transfer credit for Calculus I and II may use it to satisfy the requirement for CAS MA 123 and CAS MA 124. Such students may opt to first enroll in CAS MA 127 Calculus Review, then CAS MA 225, followed by CAS MA 226. (Please note: students receive degree credit for MA 124 or MA 127 but not for both.) All students must complete CAS MA 225 and CAS MA 226.

Students who have previous experience in calculus, but do not receive Advanced Placement credit or transfer credit, may first enroll in CAS MA 124 or CAS MA 127 with approval of their faculty advisor. These students must still meet the 16-credit mathematics requirement. An advanced mathematics course normally taken to satisfy the requirements of a major can be used to fulfill this requirement.

Honors-level courses in calculus and differential equations (CAS MA 129, CAS MA 230, CAS MA 231) are acceptable substitutions for CAS MA 127, CAS MA 225, and CAS MA 226, respectively.

B. Natural Sciences Every engineering student is required to take at least four natural science courses: a chemistry course, CAS CH 131 (or CAS CH 101); two physics courses, CAS PY 211 and CAS PY 212; and one 4-credit natural science elective. Natural science electives are CAS CH 102, ENG BE 209, and CAS PY 313. Students in some majors are required to take specific courses for the natural science elective. See specific curricula for each program.Students who wish to have a more in-depth foundation in chemistry may substitute one of the following 2-course sequences in place of the CH 101/CH 102 sequence:

• CAS CH 101 and CAS CH 110,
• CAS CH 111 and CAS CH 108, or
• CAS CH 111 and CAS CH 112

Students who wish to have a more in-depth foundation in physics may substitute the 2-course sequence CAS PY 251 and CAS PY 252 in place of the PY 211/PY 212 sequence.

Students who are undecided but are considering biomedical engineering as a major should take CAS CH 101 instead of CAS CH 131.

Engineering Core Requirements

The four engineering core courses required in all engineering programs cover basic engineering sciences:

• ENG EK 127 Engineering Computation
• ENG EK 130 Introduction to Engineering
• ENG EK 301 Engineering Mechanics I
• ENG EK 307 Electric Circuit Theory

These courses are taken by all engineering majors in the freshman and sophomore years.

General Education Requirement

The College of Engineering General Education requirement is intended to enhance the ability of engineering students to communicate effectively and to better understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and/or societal context.

All College of Engineering undergraduates are required to take a minimum of 24 credits of general education courses: a writing sequence (at least two courses); depth and distribution in humanities and social sciences (at least three courses); and a general education elective (at least one course).  A minimum of 4 quarter hours or 2.50 semester hours of credit constitutes a course. The general education requirements are as follows:

Writing Requirement	8 credits
Social Science/Humanities Distribution & Depth	12 credits
General Education Elective	4 credits
TOTAL	24 credits

CAS Core Curriculum The CAS Core Curriculum is an alternative path to completing the General Education requirements. Students who wish to complete their General Educations requirements with the Core Curriculum or some combination of the Core Curriculum courses should contact the Undergraduate Programs Office for more information.

Writing Requirement All College of Engineering undergraduate students are required to satisfy the writing requirement by successfully completing CAS WR 100 and CAS WR 150.

The Social Sciences/Humanities Distribution and Depth Requirement All College of Engineering undergraduate students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits in the humanities and social sciences, with two courses in the same department to establish depth.

Social Sciences The social sciences are the study of individual relationships in and with society. Students must take at least one course in the social sciences. Students who choose to establish depth in the social sciences must take two courses in the same department (e.g.,  AN, EC, or HI).  Courses that fulfill the Social Science requirement are below.

Humanities The humanities are the branches of knowledge concerned with individuals and their culture. Students must take at least one course in the humanities. Students who choose to establish depth in the humanities must take two courses in the same department (e.g.,  AH, CL, or EN). Courses that fulfill the Humanities requirement are below.

Depth Requirement Students must take two four-credit courses in either humanities or social sciences, within the same department to satisfy the depth requirement.

Students should be aware that not all CAS courses meet the social sciences/humanities requirement. A course is acceptable if it is designated in the Humanities (HU) or the Social Sciences (SS) divisions on the list of CAS divisional studies courses in the bulletin or is on the lists of acceptable courses which follow. A course that has one of the listed courses as a pre-requisite is also acceptable.

General Education Elective The general education elective allows students to be exposed to fields of study beyond the social sciences and humanities in order to further broaden their education. This 4-credit elective can be satisfied by appropriate combinations of 1- to 4-credit courses that include additional writing, social sciences, humanities, fine arts, and others. Courses that can be used to satisfy the general education elective are listed below.

Acceptable Social Science Courses

Anthropology

• CAS AN 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
• CAS AN 240 Legal Anthropology
• CAS AN 252 Ethnicity and Identity
• CAS AN 260 Sex and Gender in Anthropological Perspective

Please note: CAS AN 102 does not fulfill this requirement.

Archaeology

• CAS AR 101 Introduction to Archaeology
• CAS AR 205 Origins of Civilization

Please note: CAS AR 102 does not fulfill this requirement.

Economics

• CAS EC 101 Introductory Microeconomic Analysis
• CAS EC 102 Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis
• CAS EC 111 Introductory Microeconomic Analysis—Special Achievement
• CAS EC 112 Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis—Special Achievement
• CAS EC 171 Personal Life Style Economics

Please note: Students may not take both CAS EC 101 and EC 111 or both CAS EC 102 and EC 112. Also, CAS EC 305, CAS EC 403, CAS EC 404, and CAS EC 414 may not be taken to fulfill any General Education requirement.

Geography & Environment

• CAS GE 100 Introduction to Environmental Science
• CAS GE 102 The Cultural Landscape
• CAS GE 103 Economic Geography
• CAS GE 201 World Regional Geography I
• CAS GE 226 Geography of the Boston Region
• CAS GE 250 The Fate of Nations: Climate, Resources, and Institutions
• CAS GE 304 Environmentally Sustainable Development

Please note: CAS GE 101, GE 104, and GE 110 may not be taken to fulfill any General Education requirement.

History

• CAS HI 101 The Dawn of Europe: Antiquity to the Renaissance
• CAS HI 102 The Emergence of Modern Europe: Renaissance to the Present
• CAS HI 151 The Emerging United States to 1865
• CAS HI 152 The United States Since 1865
• CAS HI 176 World History II: 1500 to the Present
• CAS HI 215 Political and Cultural Revolution in the Contemporary World
• CAS HI 291 Reconstructing the African Past International Relations
• CAS IR 230 Fundamentals of International Politics
• CAS IR 242 Globalization and World Poverty
• CAS IR 271 Introduction to International Relations (same as CAS PO 271)
• CAS IR 374 Introduction to Security Studies

Political Science

• CAS PO 101 Introduction to Political Science
• CAS PO 211 Introduction to American Politics
• CAS PO 241 Introduction to Public Policy
• CAS PO 251 Introduction to Comparative Politics
• CAS PO 271 Introduction to International Relations (same as CAS IR 271)
• CAS PO 291 Introduction to Political Theory

Psychology

• CAS PS 101 General Psychology
• CAS PS 222 Perception and Behavior
• CAS PS 231 Physiological Psychology
• CAS PS 234 Psychology of Learning
• CAS PS 241 Developmental Psychology
• CAS PS 251 Psychology of Personality: Theories and Application
• CAS PS 261 Social Psychology

Please note: CAS PS 211 and 322–327 may not be taken to fulfill any General Education requirement.

Sociology

• CAS SO 100 Principles in Sociology
• CAS SO 104 Introduction to Sociology: Health and Illness
• CAS SO 108 Introduction to Sociology: Community
• CAS SO 205 The American Family
• CAS SO 225 Law and Society
• CAS SO 242 Globalization and World Poverty

Women’s Studies

• CAS WS 113 Women, Society, and Culture: Social Sciences

Acceptable Humanities Courses

Archaeology

• CAS AR 100 Great Discoveries in Archaeology
• CAS AR 230 Archaeology of Classical Civilizations
• CAS AR 232 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt

Art History

• CAS AH 111 Introduction to Art History I: Antiquity to the Middle Ages
• CAS AH 112 Introduction to Art History II: Renaissance to Today
• CAS AH 205 Architecture: An Introduction
• CAS AH 215 The Arts of Africa
• CAS AH 220 Islamic Art and Architecture
• CAS AH 225 The Arts of Asia
• CAS AH 284 Arts in America

Classical Studies

• CAS CL 101 The World of Greece
• CAS CL 102 The World of Rome
• CAS CL 213 Greek and Roman Mythology
• CAS CL 221 Greek History (formerly CL 321)
• CAS CL 222 Roman History (formerly CL 322)
• CAS CL 224 Greek Drama in Translation (formerly CL 324)

English Literature

• CAS EN 121 Readings in World Literature
• CAS EN 125 Readings in Modern Literature
• CAS EN 127 Readings in American Literature
• CAS EN 128 Representing Boston
• CAS EN 141 Literary Types: Fiction
• CAS EN 142 Literary Types: Poetry
• CAS EN 143 Literary Types: Drama
• CAS EN 163 Readings in Shakespeare
• CAS EN 164 Readings in Shakespeare

Modern Languages & Comparative Literature

• CAS LC 250 Masterpieces of Chinese Fiction (in English translation)
• CAS LC 350 Introduction to Chinese Literature
• CAS LG 250 Masterpieces of German Literature (in English translation)
• CAS LG 350 Introduction to German Literature
• CAS LH 250 Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature (in English translation)
• CAS LH 350 Hebrew Narrative: Biblical and Modern
• CAS LJ 250 Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (in English translation)
• CAS LJ 350 Self and Society in Modern Japanese Literature
• CAS LR 250 Classics of Russian Prose (in English translation)
• CAS LR 350 Introduction to Analysis of Russian Prose Texts
• CAS XL 222 Introduction to Comparative Literature: Western Literature
• CAS XL 223 Introduction to Comparative Literature: Middle Eastern Literature (in English translation)
• CAS XL 224 Introduction to Comparative Literature: East Asian Literature (in English translation)

Music

• CFA MU 111 Elements of Music Theory I
• CFA MU 112 Elements of Music Theory II
• CAS MU 117 Music Appreciation I
• CAS MU 118 Music Appreciation II
• CAS MU 229 Masterpieces of Opera
• CAS MU 242 Music and Society

Philosophy

• CAS PH 100 Introduction to Philosophy
• CAS PH 110 Great Philosophers
• CAS PH 150 Introduction to Ethics
• CAS PH 155 Politics and Philosophy
• CAS PH 160 Reasoning and Argumentation
• CAS PH 251 Medical Ethics

Please note: CAS PH 360 may not be taken to fulfill any General Education requirement.

Religion

• CAS RN 100 Introduction to Religion
• CAS RN 101 The Bible
• CAS RN 102 Sacred Journeys
• CAS RN 103 Religions of the World: Eastern
• CAS RN 104 Religions of the World: Western
• CAS RN 201 The Hebrew Bible
• CAS RN 202 Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity

Romance Studies

• CAS LX 240 Great Linguists
• CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics
• CAS LF 250 Masterpieces of the French Novel (in English translation)
• CAS LF 350 Introduction to Analysis of French Texts
• CAS LI 250  Masterpieces of Modern Italian Literature (in English translation)
• CAS LI 350  Italian Literature I: Medieval
• CAS LS 250 The Novelistic Tradition in the Hispanic World (in English translation)
• CAS LS 350 Introduction to Analysis of Hispanic Texts

Women’s Studies

• CAS WS 114 Women, Society, and Culture: Humanities

Acceptable General Education Elective  Courses

The following courses may be used to satisfy the General Education requirement:

• * CAS WR 098 or CAS WR 099 Introduction to College Reading and Writing (only for students needing 12 credits to satisfy the writing requirement)
• * any CAS course not designated as math, computer science, or natural science
• * any of the courses listed below.

CFA—Visual Arts

• CFA AR 191 The Visual Arts: Introduction
• CFA AR 193 The Visual Arts: Drawing I
• CFA AR 294 The Visual Arts: Drawing II
• CFA AR 295 The Visual Arts: Painting I
• CFA AR 297 Visual Arts: Sculpture I
• CFA AR 389 Graphic Design Elective
• CFA AR 397 Visual Arts: Sculpture II
• CFA AR 470 Ceramics I
• CFA AR 521 Site-Specific Art

CFA—Music

• CFA MU 101 Music Theory I
• CFA MU 106 Intro. to Musicianship (placement exam required)
• CFA MU 107 Ear-Training & Sight-Singing I (placement exam required)
• CFA MU 108 Ear-Training & Sight-Singing II (placement exam required)
• CFA MU 111 Elements of Music Theory I
• CFA MU 119 Music Appreciation
• CFA MU 151 Group Piano I (placement exam required)
• CFA MU 152 Group Piano II (placement exam required)
• CFA MU 153 Group Piano III (placement exam required)
• CFA MU 160 Class Voice
• CFA MU 164 Class Strings
• CFA MU 180 Class Brass
• CFA MU 183 Class Percussion
• CFA MU 184 Group Guitar—Beg.
• CFA MU 191 Marching Band
• CFA MU 192 Concert Band
• CFA MU 193 Pep Band
• CFA MU 194 Jazz Ensemble
• CFA MU 195 Jazz Combo
• CFA MU 196 Jazz Workshop
• CFA MU 197 All-Campus Orchestra (audition required)
• CFA MU 199 Symphonic Chorus (audition required)
• CFA MU 225 Jazz Music
• CFA MU 411 Composing with Electronic Sounds and Computers I

CFA—Theatre

• CFA DR 116 Theatre Ensemble (for non-majors)
• CFA DR 123 Acting Non-Majors (stamped approval required)
• CFA DR 124 Acting Non-Majors (stamped approval required)
• CFA DR 153, 154   Intro. to Design (stamped approval required)
• CFA DR 159 Drawing and Painting Lab (stamped approval required)
• CFA DR 253, 254 Intro. Stage Design (permission of instructor required)
• CFA DR 650 Production

COM

• COM CO 101 The World of Communication
• COM CM 303   Organizational Structure and Behavior
• COM CM 311 Oral Presentations
• COM CM 317 Introduction to Advertising
• COM FT 303 Introduction to the Television and Radio Industry
• COM JO 307 Newswriting and Reporting I

SAR

• SAR HP 151 Introduction to the Health and Rehabilitation Professions

SED

• SED ED 100 Introduction to Education

SHA

• SHA HF 100 Introduction to the Hospitality Industry

SMG

• SMG LA 245 Introduction to Law
• SMG SI 480 The Business of Technology Innovation
• SMG SM 121, 122   Management as a System
• SMG SM 299 Management as a System